July 2, 2014 at
1:55 PM

With Boston 7 1/2 games out of first place in the American League East as of July 2, questions will invariably arise whether the club should become sellers at the trade deadline and let the youngsters get playing time to close out the season.

Should the Red Sox decide to go that route over the next few weeks, there are a bevy of prospects who could join Mookie Betts on Boston’s 25-man major league roster (or the 40-man when the active roster limit expands on Sept. 1).

Either way, there are 11 minor leaguers already on the 40-man roster who should merit consideration for extended playing time later in the summer, including starting pitchers Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, Steven Wright; relievers Alex Wilson and Drake Britton; catchers Christian Vazquez and Dan Butler; third baseman Garin Cecchini and outfielders Alex Hassan and Bryce Brentz. All seem like sure bets to be September call-ups with the possible exceptions of Butler, who has been inconsistent over the season, and Brentz, who has been on the disabled list since May 15 with a right hamstring strain. Check out the full column on ESPN Boston.